🔗 Share this article

Picture being invited to take a seat beside Sir Alex Ferguson in the United dugout during a crucial European match. What would you do?

For photographer Magi Haroun, this became a reality on a torrential night in Moscow in 1992. Drenched from the sideways rain, she was faced with an extraordinary decision: an ideal yet wet shooting position or a dry seat between Ferguson and his assistant Brian Kidd.

As the first female photographer to gain top-division accreditation, unusual situations were par for the course. She chose the dugout.

'Take a Seat Next to Us'

After a scoreless first leg in Manchester, the return fixture in Russia was just as chaotic as the weather. Haroun describes never seeing rain like it. Her equipment was soaking, and her cameras were likely to fail of breaking down.

Noticed by Ferguson in the second half, he asked, "You must be a bit wet?" before telling her to "Sit between Kiddo and myself." She spent the remainder of the match there, though she would have preferred behind the goal for better shots.

After another 0-0 draw, United were defeated on penalties. Centre-back Gary Pallister, who missed the decisive kick, was left crying into his shirt. Looking towards the dugout, he presented Haroun with a perfect front-page image.

Preparing her flash, she thought Ferguson would be annoyed. True to form, the manager glared at her and declared, "If you take that picture, I'll never speak to you again!"

'My Gender Made Me a Target'

Despite her deep family connections to Manchester United—with relatives having served as directors—Haroun's path as a woman in a overwhelmingly male field was far from easy.

She found it tough to be taken seriously and believed she was often "singled out" by security and police as the "weakest link." This even led to an incident at a volatile Leeds vs. Manchester United match, where crowd trouble erupted.

"I was the one that got arrested because I'm the weakest link, I'm a woman," she stated.

Try to Run the Wright Way

Proximity to the action came with very real risks. Haroun was on one occasion "knocked out" by missiles thrown by supporters at an Aston Villa match in Turkey.

The danger also came from the players themselves. Strikes from legends like Wayne Rooney and Denis Irwin at times sent her sprawling. On one such occasion, Bryan Robson allegedly quipped, "If you're going to kill a photographer, Denis, make sure it's not the chairman's cousin!"

However, players could also be helpful. Prior to an Arsenal match, she told legend Ian Wright to celebrate her if he scored. He did find the net, but initially ran the opposite way.

To her relief, Wright realised, halted, turned back, and charged towards her with a triumphant yell, allowing for the "ideal picture" she had hoped for.

A Feline Named Carrington

Beyond football, Haroun is a known feline enthusiast. Her collection of seven cats once grew thanks to an surprise call from a long-serving staff member at Manchester United's Carrington training ground.

Told of an abandoned cat, Haroun was hesitant—she already had 23 at the time. However, a familiar gruff voice came on the line and ordered her: "You have to take it!"

Following Sir Alex Ferguson's directive, she adopted the cat and christened her Carrington.